The 49ers took no chances tonight when it came to ensuring they got the safety they coveted.

San Francisco used its considerable draft capital and traded with the Cowboys to move up 13 spots to select LSU’s Eric Reid with the No. 18 pick in the NFL draft. Reid will be expected to fill the void in the secondary created when All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson signed with Tampa Bay last month.

The 49ers surrendered a third-round pick (No. 74) to move up. They now have 11 remaining draft picks, including the second pick in the second round (No. 34).

A first-team All-American last year, Reid (6-1, 213) was the second safety drafted behind Texas’ Kenny Vaccaro, who went No. 15 overall to the Saints. Reid, however, might be the most physically gifted prospect in a deep safety class.

At the NFL combine, Reid tied for the best vertical jump (40 ½ inches) and broad jump (11-2) among safeties. His 40-yard dash (4.53) ranked fifth and was faster than the time posted Vaccaro (4.63).

In a recent phone interview, NFL Network analyst and former NFL general manager Charley Casserly noted Reid needed to clean up his sometimes-shoddy tackling technique. But Casserly, who ranked Reid behind Vaccaro, said that can be polished in the NFL.

“I really like Reid’s intelligence, his instincts,” Casserly said. “His athletic ability – the way he can move and change directions, all those things that you either have or you don’t. That’s just his natural ability. So if he has all those things you’ve got to ask yourself, why can’t he get better? And I think he will.”